Energy studies to gain synergy

AIKEN - State government officially jumped on the hydrogen bandwagon Friday.

The Department of Commerce announced the formation of the South Carolina Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Alliance, a nonprofit corporation that includes representatives from Savannah River National Laboratory and Aiken County's Center for Hydrogen Research on its board of directors.

The hydrogen researchers will promote the energy source for economic purposes, officials said. Some estimates show the hydrogen industry generating in excess of $2.5 trillion by 2021. Boosters said the alliance is important because it unites organizations that had been working independently and creates a cohesive front.

"What we've seen in the past were embryonic efforts," said Fred Humes, the executive director of the Economic Development Partnership for Aiken and Edgefield counties. "We've finally reached the point with everyone in the state ... where we've developed that synergy of moving everybody along."

Mr. Humes also is serving as director of the Center for Hydrogen Research, a $7 million facility financed by the county that is set to open in coming weeks.

The 60,000-square-foot facility near Savannah River Site will let national laboratory researchers work side-by-side with their peers from private industry.

The most ballyhooed use for hydrogen power is in automobiles. Toyota Motor Corp. announced in October that it had joined the national lab to study ways to make lighter fuel cells, which convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity while emitting only water vapor.

U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has likened Aiken's economic potential with hydrogen to Detroit and its relationship with the automobile industry.

The University of South Carolina also is studying fuel cell science, while Clemson University's International Center for Automotive Research provides brainpower to combine the two. Both schools have seats on the alliance's board of directors, as does South Carolina State University.

Among the alliance's first steps will be expanding its five-member board of directors and involving industrial members, Mr. Humes said.

With the hydrogen economy still in its infancy, its true impact remains to be seen. South Carolina researchers say they're optimistic it will work, and that the economic benefits won't be limited to the Palmetto State.

"I think this is the beginning of expanding the capabilities of the research institutions in South Carolina," said Dr. Todd Wright, the director of the national laboratory and an alliance board member. "We expect this to grow, and we expect this to grow so that it has a greater regional impact. And, of course, that will include Georgia as well."

Reach Josh Gelinas at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or josh.gelinas@augustachronicle.com.